Warp
by Zidgel
Summary: 18-year-old Michelle Conrad has two choices: 1. Save her brother or 2. Let the universe be corrupted. A hard choice, but I'm sure she'll make her mind up. [old fic unlikely to ever be updated/completed]


Jason had actually enjoyed his stay at Grandmum's cottage, that was really surprising. When he had first arrived, he felt really tempted to jump out of the car and go running to Space Camp. Though after learning lessons and discovering the penguins … he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to get back in the car. It was all so much for an 8-year-old kid to experience, you know?

It was time to go home though … Grandmum woke Jason up at five in morning to make him get ready. Now he's outside - just sitting on a huge pumpkin, feeling absolutely brain-dead.

"Jason, you don't have to sit out here the entire time!" Michelle pipes up, breaking his vegetable state.

He turns to her, his zombie-esque complexion causing her to back away.

"Ah ... I was just ... thinking." he says, voice as slow as snails stuck in syrup.

"About what?"

"Well, you know how we're space cadets? How can we keep doing it if we leave the ship and the penguins here?"

"Maybe, if we ask Grandmum to take them ... " she says. "Look, how about the both of us go inside and ask? With big puppy dog eyes too, okay?"

She grabs him by the hand, and drags him back inside.

Michelle guides Jason to the kitchen. The room smells of eggs and bacon, despite her bizarre British meals, Grandmum sure knew how to make an American breakfast.

"Oh! There you are Jason! I'm sorry for waking you so early dear, but I'm never sure when your father will decide to come home!" Grandmum says, patting Jason's head. "Why don't you eat some breakfast?"

"Okay, but me and Michelle wanted to ask you about something befor-" Jason says, interrupted by a yell of "HEY HEY HEY! WE'RE HERE!" from the living room.

"See what I told you? Always fashionably early!" Grandmum says, strutting into the living room to greet the kids' parents.

Grandmum goes on and on about Jason and Michelle during breakfast. But Jason's main concern was still the ship. He opens his mouth to say something, but can't get a word in. He turns to Michelle, who has the ship in her lap.

"What's that you have, Michelle?" Mom asks.

"It's a space-ship! Jason found it upstairs, and since the TV kept breaking we had adventures with the penguins!" she says, pointing out the penguins in the ship. Dad squints.

"Oh Michelle, you shouldn't play with those, they're honeymoon gifts!" Dad says, making Michelle frown.

"Flabberdoodle!" Grandmum exclaims. "I have plenty of other things that remind me of your father! They've been very careful with them, so I'll let them keep them. Perhaps one day Michelle or Jason will use them as honeymoon gifts too!" she winks at Michelle.

"If you say so, Mom." Dad says, shrugging.

Jason goes home with the ship his hands. It was then that he realized one half of his life was never going to be normal.

* * *

><p>There are changes over the course of 2000's. People start flocking to Jason and his friend Trevor — despite having the label of "nerds" initially. Zidgel groans about getting old when Jason grows to be about as tall as him. Michelle seems to grow quiet and introverted, weighed down by anxieties. Still having friends, of course, but not a ton like Jason.<p>

Despite Michelle being nervous around other people most of the time, she keeps a stiff-upper lip with Jason, still remaining competitive. They continued to butt heads repeatedly until the age of fifteen. A moment of confessions was when they realized they didn't hate each other. A good moment. The relationship they shared, once filled with belligerence and spite, (d)evolved into one of mutual respect and understanding. The "respect" part of it was rather questionable though, most of the conversations between the two are often a battle of wits. Both pretty much know everything about the other. Jason puts Michelle at ease a little.

Jason never did get to visit Uncle Bob's Space Camp.

They visit the cottage five other summers. The fifth visitation, however, was their last. That time - Grandmum didn't talk ears off, she didn't smile, and she didn't even breathe. Friends and family encircled her, while her church pastor read her favorite verses. She was buried right next to her husband. Mom made Grandmum's chocolate squid cupcakes one last time, and out of respect — Jason actually swallowed it. Both of dad's parents are dead; bitter feelings arise in Jason. Compared to other grandparents – they died young, hell; the kids didn't even know their grandfather. Death basically just took away grandpa-having privilege away. The feeling of bitterness leaves eventually — but it's really hard to see someone (who has introduced so much to Jason) lifeless.

* * *

><p>Jason shoves his hands in his pockets. "Well, it's been 11 years. It's pretty obvious that we're not daydreaming. Unless we happen to both have schizophrenia. They're real peop-uh, penguins with real thoughts! "<p>

Michelle sighs. "Look, if you MUST tell sentient space penguins your secrets, its fine by me. It's not really my problem. Now get out of my room, I'm busy."

"This is my room t-" she jumps up from the chair, and drags Jason out the door.

Mom walks past Jason with a laundry basket into the teens' room. She dumps clothes on another pile of clean clothes no one has bothered to put in drawers. She looks at Michelle.

"Wow Michelle, you'll have the house to yourself this weekend! My little girl is growing up!" says Mom with a pretend sob. It's June, their parents are going to take another one of their Mom and Dad only vacations. Jason starts to wonder what they even do during those vacations, they never tell.

"Call the super nannies Mom, I can't handle being by myself." Michelle says dryly.

As mom walks downstairs, it hits Jason. Their parents will be gone for a month – not just the weekend.

"That's right; I can't go with you guys on Friday! I'm going to a concert." Jason says to Michelle.

"Another one of your shitty indie bands?" she asks.

"HEY, Boyz in the Sink is probably one of the best bands out there today!" Jason hisses defensively.

"Oh, well, I have no soul, so I only listen to 80's rock music."

"Midgel has corrupted your mind, there's no hope for you left." Jason says, shaking his head.

"Barry Liteweight" whispers Michelle; it only takes Jason 5 seconds to burst out laughing. "Anyways, who are you going with?"

"Eh, just Trevor and ... a couple of guys ... that we don't really know. " Jason says - he weakly attempts to defend himself. "They went to our school though! It'll be fine!"

The cocked eyebrow Jason receives suggests she doesn't believe his claim of safety.

"That's funny Jason, the last time you told me that, you came home hammered as shit with a man dressed up like Santa. You really shouldn't go with people you just kind of know." She lectures for the hundredth time.

"Well, Mom, how am I going to meet anyone if I don't talk to some strangers?" Jason retorts.

Unable to think of a proper argument, Michelle just goes silent.

_YEAH, that's right! I'm a big boy and I can protect myself. A good space cadet can rid himself of any bank robber, viking, or IRS Agent in his way!_, he thinks to himself. Jason punches the air a couple of times — then stops, because he realizes he's being really dumb.

* * *

><p>Friday night comes quickly enough. Mom and Dad had already disappeared before either of the teens woke up in the morning. Jason catches Michelle shoving things into a bag.<p>

"What's that for?" Jason asks.

"Use your context clues Jason," she says. "You'll be gone for the weekend. It's Friday, do you remember what happens on Friday?"

"Ah, I'm stupid. Y'know, I stayed with the penguins for an entire weekend once, and afterwards, I never wanted to go on a roller coaster again." Jason says.

"I still don't want an explanation for that," she says, her eyes dart over to the digital alarm clock on her nightstand. "Um, when are you planning on leaving?"

"They were going to pick me up at eight, so soon, I guess." he says, shrugging.

As soon as Jason answers her question, the door bell rings twice — then somebody bursts into the house -must be Trevor. Michelle gives Jason a quick hug before they both go downstairs into the hallway.

"Jason! You ready to leave?" Trevor says.

"I'm coming, honey!" Jason yells to him sarcastically and strides up to meet him. "You're ready, right?"

"Yeah, 'bought us a day's worth of snack food." he says, grinning. "We'll feast like kings on this trip! Oh yeah, hey Michelle."

She blushes, gives a little wave, and turns her back to the boys. Jason rolls his eyes and walks out with Trevor. For the next five minutes, he deals with Trevor trying to convince him to take Michelle, Jason slams a bag of cheese twists in his face.

* * *

><p>Jason talks a little to the two other guys he went with. <em>They seem like pretty average guys his age — really pretentious and obnoxious.<em> One of them keeps screaming in Jason's ear while he's at the concert, and Jason almost feels tempted to slap him during Jason's favorite song. Eventually he stops — only because the concert is over.

It wasn't that bad though. Jason accidentally ran into one of the band members near a bathroom, and he gave Jason his autograph. That was great, though some part of Jason wishes that he had gone with Michelle.

The two guys take Jason and Trevor out to a restaurant — though the "restaurant" is actually a bar. They had apparently planned to go here all along, and brought fake IDs with them. Since neither Jason or Trevor want to get drunk when driving home — they sit and watch the two other boys act like idiots for what feels like an hour.

Unfortunately, after he takes a long bathroom break, Jason finds that the two guys and Trevor have vanished. Loudly groaning, he searches for them for ten minute, before realizing that their car wasn't in the parking lot. Suddenly Jason hears his cellphone ringing. It's Trevor.

"Where are you guys?" Jason hisses angrily.

"Ugh, when you went to the bathroom I got dragged out to car by them." Trevor says, sounding really annoyed as well.

"Did you try taking control of the car?" Jason asks.

"Well, yeah! But then he bit me!" Trevor exclaims. Jason sighs heavily, deciding he doesn't want to deal with two drunken men.

"You know what? I'm, I'm just going to walk to the nearest bus station and take the bus home. I've got plenty of cash left." Jason says and hangs up before Trevor can argue.

Looking around at his surroundings though, he becomes unsure if he wants to leave by himself. It's very dark outside, and there aren't any other buildings for a couple of miles. Jason sucks it up and starts walking directly to the bus station.

After walking a mile, Jason starts feeling a bit uncomfortable. He hears a low hum in the distance, but no cars have driven past him recently. He pulls out his phone and sends Michelle a couple of text messages to cheer himself up, also sending her subtle pleas to get Midgel to pick him up. But then, he realizes that she probably left it somewhere and wouldn't respond for a while. An extremely loud groan comes out of his mouth and he instantly regrets it because —_oh god_ — the humming noise just got louder. It sends a shiver up his spine, he can't help but increase his walking speed, just a little sprint. _It's not like I'm scared or anything._

_Oh Jesus, it's getting really loud._ The night is suddenly illuminated by this bright light behind him. He doesn't even bother to turn around.

And then something hits him.

Literally.

Then he falls his face.


End file.
